Keahn Wallace had 192 yards passing off 20-of-34 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the 44-17 loss to 16th ranked Winston-Salem State
Box Score
Winston-Salem, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University football team suffered their second loss of the season to No. 16 Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, October 12th at Bowman Gray Stadium. JCSU moves to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the CIAA, while the Rams improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
Winston-Salem State took the field first on offense and scored on their opening drive. However, the Rams needed 16 plays, two fourth down conversions, and a little over eight minutes to produce the touchdown. A quarterback scramble from Rudy Johnson gave WSSU a 7-0 advantage initially.
JCSU responded on the ensuing offensive possession with a game tying touchdown. Junior quarterback
Keahn Wallace (Miami, FL) led the Golden Bulls 65 yards downfield in eight plays for a score. Wallace connected with senior receiver
Chris Patterson (Pendleton, SC) for a nine yard TD. WSSU went three and out on their next drive and punted. The first quarter came to a close knotted up 7-7 with the Golden Bulls having possession.
The Homecoming Rams' crowd grew silent as Wallace drove the field for another touchdown. Wallace linked up with sophomore receiver
Fred Scott (Stone Mountain, GA) for a 19 yard TD reception. The score gave JCSU a 14-7 lead with 14:53 remaining in the first half. Both teams' offenses stalled on their next possessions, before WSSU returned to the end zone.
A mixed rushing attack from Patrick Mputu and Maurice Lewis led the Rams to a second touchdown after 11 plays. Lewis crossed the goal line from one yard away. The score remained tied 14-14 until the second half.
Freshman kicker
Erik Amaya (Kannapolis, NC) broke the tie with a 33 yard field goal in the third quarter. The Golden Bulls drove down to the WSSU five yard line, but failed to punch the ball in for a touchdown. JCSU held a 17-14 lead with about nine minutes left in the quarter. Unfortunately, those would be the last points produced by the Golden Bulls.
The Rams put up 30 unanswered points, including 14 points before the end of the third. JCSU allowed two more touchdowns and a safety in the fourth to account for the final score. Time of possession favored Winston-Salem State by almost 19 minutes. WSSU had the ball 39:20, compared to 20:40 for the Golden Bulls.
JCSU only managed to convert on three of 13 attempts (23%) on third down. Meanwhile, the Rams converted on eight of 15 attempts on third down (53%) and three of four attempts on fourth down (75%). WSSU had 501 yards of total offense, compared to 156 yards for Johnson C. Smith.
Wallace finished with 192 yards passing, completing 20-of-34 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was stopped on the ground for a net loss of 46 yards. Patterson had a game-high eight catches, 75 yards, and one touchdown.
Johnson had 208 yards off 19-of-25 passing with two TDs and rushed for 88 yards and two more touchdowns. Lewis had 113 yards rushing off 22 carries, followed by Mputu with 85 yards off 10 attempts. Both had one rushing touchdown.
The Golden Bulls return home for their next contest against Fayetteville State University on Saturday, October 19th. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Irwin Belk Complex on the campus of JCSU.
